Safety-guard for cars



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W'. H. LA POUNTAINB. SAFETY GUARD POR GARS.

110.445,89?. Patented Feb. 3', 1891.

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W'. Hi LA POUNTAINE.

SAFETY GUARD FOR GARS.

No. 445,897.v Patented FebQs, 1891@ wifi? 66S,

UNITED STATES 'PATENT OFFICE.

VILLIAM II. LA FOUNTAINE, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO.

SAFETY-GUARD FOR CARS.

SFECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 445,897, dated February 3, 1891.

Application led November 14, 1890. Serial No. 371,463. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom t 11mg/ concern:

Be it known that I, VILLIAM H. LA FOUN- TAINE, a citizen of the United States7 residing at Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Safeguard for Cars, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to safeguards for cars, and has for its object to provide a self-ad justing gratingbetween the platforms o'f cars coupled together; and the invention consists in the combination and adaptation of a grating uniting the platforms, susceptible of conforming itself to the various motions that two cars have While traveling relative to making curves or any vibrating motions vertical or sidewise.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a perspective view of the ends of two cars having my improved safeguard attached between them. Fig. 2 is a top or plan view of my new safeguard. Fig. 3 is a sectional view of part of one of the tubular bars composing the grating. Fig. L is a perspective view of a portion of said tubular bars, showing manner ot' attaching them to a supporting rod or bar and the manner of suspending the grating to the platform. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a set of grating-bars as seen between theplatforms, showing a modified form of constructing thejoints and hanging for the heads of the tubular bars. Fig. 6 is an enlarged view of some of the said heads, showing their construction in detail.

A A represent the end sills of car-platforms- B B are tubular bars attached to open heads Z1 b, provided with ears or lugs perforated for loosely hanging them on the supporting rods or bars C O.

D D are also tubular bars or rods of smaller diameter than the bars B and capable of .being telescopically inserted in the said bars B. They are also provided with heads d, having lugs or ears perforated for attaching them to supporting rods or bars E.

In Figs. 5 and G the heads b (l are shown with double-joint attachments. The su pporting-bars have slotted or double ears g g, in which a block is pivoted to have lateral motion. The heads b2 have double or bifurcated ears or lugs f, and they are pivotally attached to the said blocks to have vertical motion. This provides for permitting the grating-bars to have easy lateral and vertical movements.

In the instance of the single lug or ear on the heads the method ot' attaching them to the supporting-rods is to slip onto the supporting-rods short sleeves e between each lug, for the purpose of retaining the bars equidistant apart. Upon the supporting rods or bars C E are provided hooks F for suspending the guard in eyes or staples G, fixed to the front side of the sills A.

The supporting-bars C E extend downward at the sides and are also provided with bars, as seen in Fig. l, to provide protection at the side down to near the track.

The adaptability of this grating to accommodate itself to the cars in going around a curve is seen by dotted lines in Fig. 2, and to the verticalvibratory movement of the cars, as seen in Fig. 5.

Having described my invention, I claim as follows:

In a car-platform guard, the combination, with telescopically-united tubular bars B D, of the open heads b o, provided with ears or lugs perforated, and the supporting-rods' E, the hooks F, and eyes or staples G, arranged to operate substantially as specified.

IVILLIAM Il. LA FOUNTAINE.

Witnesses:

GEO. W. TIBBITTS, E. JAY PINNEY. 

